40 on Justice: The Prophetic Voice on Social Reform – 40 Hadith on Justice, Ethics, and Community Reform

40 on Justice: The Prophetic Voice on Social Reform presents a carefully selected collection of forty hadith that emphasize the central role of justice in Islam. Justice is a fundamental principle in Islamic teachings, shaping the way individuals interact with others and how societies establish fairness, equality, and compassion.

Through these prophetic sayings, the book highlights the ethical and moral framework that Islam provides for building just communities. The teachings of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ demonstrate how justice should guide leadership, decision-making, and social relationships. They also remind believers of their responsibility to stand for fairness, protect the rights of others, and work toward the well-being of society.

From Author:

Justice is essential to the survival and flourishing of any civilization. The words of God and His Messenger ﷺ remind us of the centrality of justice in our lives and our societies. Injustice (zulm) is condemned repeatedly in the Qu'ran and the teachings of the Prophet ﷺ. How are we to confront injustices in our personal lives, our communities and our societies? In an age of widespread injustices against the weak, the vulnerable and the dispossessed, how does Islam teach us to respond?

The unique commentary on forty hadith narrated from the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ explores Islamic teachings regarding social justice. It covers a wide variety of topics ranging from the environment, racism, family relations, the rights of the elderly the disabled, and humanity more generally. This journey will take you on a journey through Islam's rich heritage and the guidance it provides us to confront injustices in our societies today.

Content:

Pg:01
40
JUSTICE
The Prophetic Voice on Social Reform
OMAR SULEIMAN
Pg:02
CONTENTS
Foreword
1. The Gravity of Injustice in Islam 2. God is More Capable Than Us 3. From the Scrolls of Ibrahim
4. To Seek or Not to Seek Leadership
5. We Will be Asked About Our Potential
6. A Word of Truth in the Face of an Oppressor
7. The Ruling on Silence and Injustice
8. The Right to Food, Water and Shelter
9. Responding to Evil with Good
10. Everybody Else Does It
11. The Comprehensiveness of Tatfeef (short-changing)
12. Whoever Deceives is Not From Us
13. Corrupt Lawyers and Unserved Justice
14. Elitist Privilege
15. Building a Coalition of Justice: the Fiqh of Hilf al-Fadool
16. A Show of Strength
17. Finding and Channelling Your Righteous Anger
18. The Rights of the Neighbour
19. The Definition, Categorisation and
Prohibition of Torture in Islam
20. Prophetic Guidance on Work Conditions and
Employee Treatment
21. The Characteristics of a Pious Employee
Pg:03
1
THE GRAVITY OF INJUSTICE IN ISLAM
On the authority of Abu Dharr al-Ghifari (may Allah be pleased with him) from the Prophet is that among the sayings he relates from his Lord (may He be glorified) is that He said: O My servants, I have forbidden oppression for Myself and have made it forbidden amongst you, so do not oppress one another.
WANT TO BEGIN this chapter by starting off with a wonderful quote by Syed Ja'far Raza, who authored a book called The Essence of Islam: "If I am asked to summarise the principles of Islam and the essence of Islam, I would say it is justice. Islam is synonymous with justice. Justice to the Creator by worshipping Him and obeying His injunctions and mandate. He is Justice. Justice to the Prophet Muhammad by following him as he represents the authority of God on earth.
Justice to oneself by keeping it secure from sinfulness and egotism. Justice to the body by keeping it healthy and free from undue exertion and illness. Justice to the soul by keeping it pure with piety.
Pg:04
sheep and bring it to him. Luqman cooked the tongue and brought it to his master, after which he was asked to go and cook and the worst part of the sheep and bring it to him, and once again he brought the tongue. His master asked why he had brought the tongue on both occasions and he answered, "When the tongue is used for good, it is the best part of the body. And when the tongue is used for evil, it is the worst part of the body."
What we learn from the above is that our tongue will play a big role in whether we enter Paradise or the Hellfire. The Prophet mentioned in numerous different Hadiths that we often do not consider our words to be actions. Underestimating our words and the impact they can have, can lead us to underestimate the sinfulness of them. If we do not understand the harm that our tongue can cause, then we put ourselves in a difficult position that could result in eternal punishment in the Hereafter.
This brings us to the Hadith that we will be covering in this chapter. It has two narrations from Abu Sayeed al-Khudri, may Allah be pleased with him:
1. The Prophet
said, "The best form of struggle (jihad) is to speak a word of truth (haq) in the face of an oppressor.""
2. He said, "A word of justice ('adl) in the face of an oppressor is the best form of striving (jihad)."
The word truth (haq) is more general than the word justice ('adl), and we must look at it in the context of this Hadith as truth can mean many things. The second narration of the Hadith helps us to understand further, a word of justice is a very particular type of truth; the Prophet
here meant for us to use our tongue to challenge oppression in the face of a tyrant.
These Hadiths can be seen as a reverse of the Hadith covered in chapter two, in which the Prophet saw a Companion beating his slave to which he said that Allah is more able than you to cause harm. We are reminded that oppression usually stems from a false illusion of power, when a person forgets that real power is with Allah. Here the equation has switched, if someone speaks a word of justice to an oppressive ruler, it shows that one who is powerless is able to speak up against a powerful person through their firm belief in the ultimate power of Allah over
A WORD OF TRUTH IN THE FACE OF AN OPPRESSOR
Pg:05
USTICE is essential to the survival and flourishing of any civilization. The words of God and His Messenger remind us of the centrality of justice in our lives and our societies. Injustice (zulm) is condemned repeatedly in the Qur'an and the teachings of the Prophet. How are we to confront injustices in our personal lives, our communities and our societies? In an age of widespread injustices against the weak, the vulnerable and the dispossessed, how does Islam teach us to respond?
This unique commentary on forty hadith narrated from the Prophet Muhammad explores Islamic teachings regarding social justice. It covers a wide variety of topics ranging from the environment, racism, family relations, the rights of the elderly, the disabled, and humanity more generally. This book will take you on a journey through Islam's rich heritage and the guidance it provides us to confront injustices in our societies today.
KUBE
PUBLISHING
Omar Suleiman is the Founder and President of the Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research and Professor of Islamic Studies at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, USA.

Kube Publishing

• Omar Suleiman

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Pg:01
40
JUSTICE
The Prophetic Voice on Social Reform
OMAR SULEIMAN
Pg:02
CONTENTS
Foreword
1. The Gravity of Injustice in Islam 2. God is More Capable Than Us 3. From the Scrolls of Ibrahim
4. To Seek or Not to Seek Leadership
5. We Will be Asked About Our Potential
6. A Word of Truth in the Face of an Oppressor
7. The Ruling on Silence and Injustice
8. The Right to Food, Water and Shelter
9. Responding to Evil with Good
10. Everybody Else Does It
11. The Comprehensiveness of Tatfeef (short-changing)
12. Whoever Deceives is Not From Us
13. Corrupt Lawyers and Unserved Justice
14. Elitist Privilege
15. Building a Coalition of Justice: the Fiqh of Hilf al-Fadool
16. A Show of Strength
17. Finding and Channelling Your Righteous Anger
18. The Rights of the Neighbour
19. The Definition, Categorisation and
Prohibition of Torture in Islam
20. Prophetic Guidance on Work Conditions and
Employee Treatment
21. The Characteristics of a Pious Employee
Pg:03
1
THE GRAVITY OF INJUSTICE IN ISLAM
On the authority of Abu Dharr al-Ghifari (may Allah be pleased with him) from the Prophet is that among the sayings he relates from his Lord (may He be glorified) is that He said: O My servants, I have forbidden oppression for Myself and have made it forbidden amongst you, so do not oppress one another.
WANT TO BEGIN this chapter by starting off with a wonderful quote by Syed Ja'far Raza, who authored a book called The Essence of Islam: "If I am asked to summarise the principles of Islam and the essence of Islam, I would say it is justice. Islam is synonymous with justice. Justice to the Creator by worshipping Him and obeying His injunctions and mandate. He is Justice. Justice to the Prophet Muhammad by following him as he represents the authority of God on earth.
Justice to oneself by keeping it secure from sinfulness and egotism. Justice to the body by keeping it healthy and free from undue exertion and illness. Justice to the soul by keeping it pure with piety.
Pg:04
sheep and bring it to him. Luqman cooked the tongue and brought it to his master, after which he was asked to go and cook and the worst part of the sheep and bring it to him, and once again he brought the tongue. His master asked why he had brought the tongue on both occasions and he answered, "When the tongue is used for good, it is the best part of the body. And when the tongue is used for evil, it is the worst part of the body."
What we learn from the above is that our tongue will play a big role in whether we enter Paradise or the Hellfire. The Prophet mentioned in numerous different Hadiths that we often do not consider our words to be actions. Underestimating our words and the impact they can have, can lead us to underestimate the sinfulness of them. If we do not understand the harm that our tongue can cause, then we put ourselves in a difficult position that could result in eternal punishment in the Hereafter.
This brings us to the Hadith that we will be covering in this chapter. It has two narrations from Abu Sayeed al-Khudri, may Allah be pleased with him:
1. The Prophet
said, "The best form of struggle (jihad) is to speak a word of truth (haq) in the face of an oppressor.""
2. He said, "A word of justice ('adl) in the face of an oppressor is the best form of striving (jihad)."
The word truth (haq) is more general than the word justice ('adl), and we must look at it in the context of this Hadith as truth can mean many things. The second narration of the Hadith helps us to understand further, a word of justice is a very particular type of truth; the Prophet
here meant for us to use our tongue to challenge oppression in the face of a tyrant.
These Hadiths can be seen as a reverse of the Hadith covered in chapter two, in which the Prophet saw a Companion beating his slave to which he said that Allah is more able than you to cause harm. We are reminded that oppression usually stems from a false illusion of power, when a person forgets that real power is with Allah. Here the equation has switched, if someone speaks a word of justice to an oppressive ruler, it shows that one who is powerless is able to speak up against a powerful person through their firm belief in the ultimate power of Allah over
A WORD OF TRUTH IN THE FACE OF AN OPPRESSOR
Pg:05
USTICE is essential to the survival and flourishing of any civilization. The words of God and His Messenger remind us of the centrality of justice in our lives and our societies. Injustice (zulm) is condemned repeatedly in the Qur'an and the teachings of the Prophet. How are we to confront injustices in our personal lives, our communities and our societies? In an age of widespread injustices against the weak, the vulnerable and the dispossessed, how does Islam teach us to respond?
This unique commentary on forty hadith narrated from the Prophet Muhammad explores Islamic teachings regarding social justice. It covers a wide variety of topics ranging from the environment, racism, family relations, the rights of the elderly, the disabled, and humanity more generally. This book will take you on a journey through Islam's rich heritage and the guidance it provides us to confront injustices in our societies today.
KUBE
PUBLISHING
Omar Suleiman is the Founder and President of the Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research and Professor of Islamic Studies at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, USA.